Opening Pandora's Box
by Karina Kineshi
Summary: **Aoshi is up!**  Aoshi is forced to speak his mind about everything and anything he thinks of, much to Misao's delight... but is she prepared for what he has to say?
1. Pandora's Box...

Disclaimers: I think we all know who owns Rurouni Kenshin and company. Just read the darn _fan_fic. Thank you.

The bantering is from Rush Hour. Thanks for helping me remember that Sleepy-san! ^_^

***************

Pandora's Box_   
_By: Karina Kineshi

Why did it seem that whenever Aoshi and Misao came to visit, trouble would always soon follow? Kenshin found his left eye twitching in beat to the sound of his harried footsteps, something that rarely happened to him.

Actually, make that never.

Sanosuke puffed for breath as struggled to keep up. They've been going around in circles for about 2 hours now, and it was getting dark. Kenshin sure left that dojo in a hurry when he overheard one of Kaoru's conversations with Megumi and Misao; their so-called "girl talk". Kaoru delightedly exclaimed that a guy had tried to make small talk with her when she went to visit Tae at the Akabeko. According to Kaoru, she heard a door slam, and then running. That was about the part when Sanosuke ran like hell to catch up with the rurouni.

Flash forward to now.

"Kenshin, I think we'd better start heading—" He stopped when he saw the look in the redhead's eyes. Something icy, something...

"Having bad luck in love, battousai?" Sanosuke almost fell over backwards when he heard these exact words come out of the unshakable Shinomori Aoshi's mouth. The fast pace that Kenshin was taking didn't seem to faze the leader of the Oniwa Banshuu one bit. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

Checklist: Kenshin pissed. Sanosuke out of breath. Kaoru confused. Aoshi making stupid comments.

Gods, he needed a drink. 

Kenshin's stare grew darker as his hand hovered near his sword. Sanosuke decided that now was probably not a good place to be, lest an appendage be suddenly missing. "It's none of your business, Aoshi."

Sanosuke was sure that everyone in Tokyo heard the loud clang when his mouth made contact with the floor. Aoshi only blinked in that non-concerned way of his, but then his eyes grew soft. "That bad..."

"As a matter of fact..." The animosity radiating from Kenshin lessened; now he looked just tired. Bone tired. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Aoshi simply nodded. "I understand."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Sanosuke didn't know whether to feel Aoshi's forehead for his temperature or to run away wondering why these two were talking about love. For God's sake, he's seen these two men have at it in battle! Kenshin with all the light of compassion gone from his eyes, tinged with amber hatred. Aoshi... well, with his eyes in _general_... is talking about women problems?

Gods, he _really_ needed a drink...

Kenshin closed his eyes. "I'm surprised at you Aoshi, dare I say... you're opening up to people?"

"Damn Kenshin, you make it sound like it's the rarest thing in the world." Sanosuke rolled his eyes, peeved. "But then again, we _are_ talking about icy here..."

Aoshi blinked. "Icy? Why do you say that?"

The gangster brushed a stray hair falling over his face with a little bit of finesse. Almost... cocky. Kenshin fought back a laugh as Sanosuke tried to explain to the unflappable Aoshi why exactly he deserved the nickname. "Well... um... ice is cold, and you are like ice..."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, ice is cold, and ice can't talk."

"Maybe ice doesn't talk because between choosing to talk to someone like you or keep silent, they choose the latter."

Sanosuke flared. "You're full of shit, you know that? You're full of it!"

Aoshi still had that aloof look on his face, but his eyes were shining. "I like to sit back and let people talk who like to talk. This way, I find out just how _full_ of shit... they are." Kenshin all the while was snickering. 

_I'm glad this little outing was good for something_, Sanosuke thought wryly_. Even if the humor's at my expense... _

"Well..." he said with a defiant smirk, "... I don't have problems seducing my woman, icy."

"Your woman? You mean..." Aoshi looked at Kenshin for a visual confirmation; Sanosuke's mystery female was indeed...

"Ah, you mean Megumi-dono? I keep forgetting that you haven't been here to... anyways... yes, it _is_ Megumi-dono. " Kenshin sighed. "At least one of us is having luck."

"How long have they been together?"

Kenshin closed his eyes, lost in thought. "About one month now."

"Last time I checked, she seemed to hate you."

Sanosuke's face turned red. "Well, that's changed now..."

"What was the catalyst?"

"The... what?"

Aoshi shook his head. Such an uneducated buffoon... "The catalyst. Ca-ta-lyst."

"You dumb ass, saying it again and again won't help." Sanosuke looked ready to bean Aoshi with his fist, but held back because of the simple fact that he would probably get beaned back even harder.

Fortunately for Sanosuke (and Aoshi), Kenshin explained to Sanosuke just exactly what a catalyst was. "It's been going on for quite some time, so there wasn't really any one point where they fell in love. Just... a bunch of little moments..."

Sanosuke was just standing there, resembling a proud rooster with his chest puffed out and his hands on his hips. Aoshi was about to tell him that he looked absolutely ridiculous until a question popped into his head. "Do you know her?"

"Know her? Like... how?"

Aoshi gave him no answer.

"Well, there was this one time I could read her mind... long story, don't ask... and there was another time that I was handcuffed to her... another long story..." Sanosuke leaned back on his heels with a satisfied grin. "See, when you ask questions that I can _understand_, it saves us both a lot of trouble."

The exaggeratedly long strands of hair on Aoshi's face swayed when he shook his head. "No, I mean, do you _know_ her?"

"_Know_ her? Accent on the _know_?" Sanosuke's eyes seemed to be screaming, "Kenshin! Translate for me! Aoshi's a lunatic!"

Kenshin cut in. "Do you mean if he's had sexual relations with her?"

"No."

"Oh."

"But I have!' Sanosuke announced a little too cheerily. "Don't you want to hear about that?"

"No."

"Oh."

_This is getting redundant_.

Aoshi trudged along. "Maybe she doesn't _want_ you to announce it to the world. Have you ever thought about her feelings in this?"

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed. "Her feelings? Listen, I'm more in touch with her feeling than any of you will _ever_ know. I _know_ Megumi." He paused to let the weight of the words sink in. "Besides, I don't think I should be taking advice from you. At least I can say my feelings out loud."

"Very loud."

"Shut up Kenshin."

Aoshi just shrugged. "I guess it's just a curse of mine." He cast a sidelong glance at Sanosuke. "I like to _think_ before I say things."

Sanosuke muttered something incoherent, but one could make out the words "...pick on me day..."

Kenshin smiled, but only for a brief moment before losing himself in thought. "My curse is that I can't even get close to Kaoru-dono anymore. I mean, I live with her, but every day... she seems to be drifting farther and farther away from me."

"How do you know she was yours to begin with?" Aoshi seemed to be genuinely interested.

Kenshin shrugged. "I... don't. I just wish that she was a little bit less confusing."

"Women are so hard to understand. One minute Misao is making eyes at me, the next..." Aoshi seemed surprised at the blank look on Sanosuke's face. "I wish that I could open up more."

Sanosuke closed his eyes. "You know, if you would talk to Misao the same way you're talking right now, she'd fall for you in two seconds."

"Are you sure?"

"I guarantee it."

"Who made you the women expert?"

Sanosuke smiled. "Megumi."

All six eyes were raised to the sky when a giant streak of orange lit up the heavens. Gunfire? Cannons? Kenshin's hand went immediately to his sword, it seemed like some moron always attacked Tokyo at the most inopportune times and by God, this person would pay.

The three men stared in shock as the gigantic fireball veered and changed direction. It made an impossible 180 degree turn in the sky... "Holy shit! It's coming right at us!" Sanosuke exclaimed. The look on Aoshi's face said exactly what Sanosuke just did. The leader of the Oniwa Banshuu had seen some pretty odd things, but none quite as odd as this.

Kenshin couldn't help but gape. The so-called cannon had slowed down considerably, and instead of feeling slightly scared that it as heading straight for them, he felt comfortable.

Almost... safe.

"It's not possible. It can't..." Not only was it slowing down, but getting smaller and changing colors. Red, then orange, then yellow, then... "Kenshin, what the hell is it?"

"I... I don't know, Sanosuke..."

"Aoshi!"

The glowing ball of light hovered in the air above Aoshi's head, illuminating his face. He was still calm and collected, but no one could miss the alarm in his eyes. 

Something like this just didn't happen _every_ day.

The glow subsided, and the object sank and settled into Aoshi's hands. "It's... a box..." 

So it was. The small dark mahogany chest was intricately carved with vines of ivy trailing up the sides. It radiated a faint light, making every cranny and shadow dance on the outside of the box. There was even a faint sound coming from it, it seemed to be pleading, "Open me..."

Kenshin narrowed his eyes, but they were shining with curiosity. He couldn't decide whether to tell Aoshi to be careful or to open the box. "Aoshi... don't..."

The last thing Sanosuke remembered seeing was Aoshi lifting his arm and placing it on top of the brilliantly glowing package. Then hearing Aoshi's voice, "I can't! I can't... stop!"

Swirling tentacles of black light. White streaks of hot lightning shot out of the opened chest. And all was dark.

*******************

_I wish that I could speak my mind when I'm near Misao... _

Aoshi sat up and groggily rubbed his head. He'd never woke up with this bad of a headache before. "What the hell happened to me?"

"Excuse me, did you say something, Aoshi-sama?" A voice drifted over from the closed partition of his room, snapping him out of his thoughts. He said that out loud?

He could hear a small laugh. "Of course you said that out loud Aoshi-sama, either that or my hearing is incredibly good..."

Oh, so he had said that out loud. That was his Misao, she'd always had abnormally good hearing when it came to him, it made her even more endearing to him.

Gods, how could she put up with him?

Misao slid the door open, something unreadable in her eyes and carrying a small tray. "Put up with you? What do you mean?"

Aoshi's heart plunged to the bottom of his body. "But I didn't say anything..."

The braid on the back of Misao's head was getting barraged by her fingers. She was twiddling with it nervously. "But I heard you, I think..." She flashed a dazzling smile. "Are you getting senile?"

"I might be. In fact, I am sure that I didn't say anything. You look beautiful Misao." Gods, he said that out loud too! What was wrong with him? Can't he keep a thought to himself?!?

Misao's eyes grew concerned. "There's nothing wrong with you, and I don't know about that thought to yourself thing, but thanks for noticing me."

Noticing? Yes, Misao was dressed in a marvelous kimono; the yellow complemented her beautiful aquamarine eyes.

Misao blushed. "Thank you... Aoshi-sama... I always hated my eyes..."

The man was getting scared now, it seemed that all of his thoughts were forced to be spoken. How can this be? 

_I wish I could speak my mind when I'm near Misao... _

Oh Gods. Could it be?

The girl shook her head and quirked an eyebrow. "Could it be... you're getting senile?"

Aoshi laughed halfheartedly. "I am, I am..."

*******************

_I wish Kaoru-dono would give me a clear answer to my unspoken questions... _

"My head hurts..." Himura Kenshin opened his eyes, only to find that he was no where _near_ home. In fact, he couldn't even remember where he was, all he knew was that he woke up under a giant cherry tree, splayed out like some drunkard. 

Either that, or a man who just got thrown out by his wife.

The red head got up, staggering slightly and mad at himself for pouring his heart out like that to Sanosuke and Aoshi. God know what they would do with this information! Most everyone in the area who wanted to take on the battousai could just find out that his one weakness was Kaoru; he'd kill himself if anything ever happened to her because of him...

Kenshin broke out of his thoughts when he realized that he had no _clue_ where he was. Had he wandered that far from the dojo? He groggily tried to walk, but his legs felt like lead. He approached a nearby lady carrying fruit. "Excuse me, where am I?"

The woman didn't stop. In fact, she just brushed right past him as if he didn't exist.

_Wow, that's rude... _

So Kenshin tried again, this time, asking an old man the same question. He got the same reaction; the guy just walked away. The usually serene ex-rurouni was starting to lose his patience. Kaoru gave him the silent treatment, why must everyone else? The past night's events and events leading up to this just added to the stress. Like the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, this new occurrence was the final straw. 

"Excuse me!" In a burst of anger, he cut into the path of a longhaired teenager with a small band of metal pierced through his upper lip, a rebel. Just the kind of person you wouldn't want to get angry. Kenshin stepped right in front of the young man's directory. "Can you tell—"

Kenshin gasped. "My... my..."

_He passed right through me. _

In shock, he numbly raised his hand to his face.

_I wish Kaoru would give me a clear answer... _

Kenshin's eyes traveled up his appendages. His hand... body... had turned transparent.

_Oh God... _

*******************

_Idiots, I _know_ my Megumi inside and out. There is nothing more to be known... _

Sanosuke smacked his lips together. There was a bitter taste in them, as if he'd been sucking on a lemon all night long. 

_Speaking of lemons... _

He smirked; those two were probably falling all over each other to get their girls' attention, how pathetic. The most feared fighters in all of Japan, stumbling to catch an under-aged woman's interest.

Sad.

Sanosuke scratched his head, taking special care not to move the futon too much. He could feel the tell tale bump on the other side; Megumi had not yet gotten up. It was odd though; she was normally the first one to rise in the morning.

_Must have been a long day at the clinic... _

The first peculiar occurrence was when Sanosuke laid his arm on his forehead. His bandana was missing. No wonder he felt even more naked. 

_Damn, Megumi must've taken it off..._ He wasn't concerned as of yet; he was sure that it was in the room _somewhere_.

The second sign was the fact that his hands were—

"What the hell?!? My nails!! They're... painted red! I..." Sanosuke clamped his mouth shut. Instead of the gruff and low voice that was his, what came out was...

Megumi's voice.

In a panic, Sanosuke tumbled over the side of the futon, in the process stepping over long black hair atop his own head.

Megumi's hair.

Sanosuke felt his face and head, as if rubbing it long enough would give him an answer. "Holy shit! I'm..." He whirled around, and saw himself lying down on the bed. Where Megumi was supposed to be.

"Fox! Get the hell up!" Sanosuke closed his eyes at the shrillness of his voice, it sounded just like Megumi's when she was pissed off at him. That was _him_ lying there! That was Sagara Sanosuke _sleeping_ there! "Fox!"

A muffled groan came from Megumi, er, Sanosuke's body. "Sano... let me sleep... I'm really tired..."

Sanosuke felt tears coming to his eyes. Tears?!? How the hell did this happen? He repeated over and over again, "It's some kind of joke... some kind of joke... some kind of..."

_I know my Megumi inside and out... _

Holy shit. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's notes: It's a loony bin! Aoshi is forced to speak his mind on anything and everything, Kenshin is transparent, and Sanosuke and Megumi have switched bodies! I am going to write a separate chapter for each of the men's experiences, so this will be KxK, AxM, and SxM. Anyone you want to see first? ^_^

Yeah, they're kinda OOC, especially Aoshi. But these characters have never been alone with each other before, and if he makes amends with Kenshin and becomes good friends with Sanosuke, I'm guessing this is how one of their conversations might look like ^_^ So don't throw fruit at me!

Comment please, I don't know if I should continue this because I have never written KxK or AxM before. If I should give it a shot, review! If the idea of Aoshi speaking his mind all the time doesn't interest you; I don't know what will. Thanks to all who read!


	2. Sanosuke and Megumi...

This is Sanosuke's story, and due to... circumstances... even though Megumi is in Sano's body and vice versa, I shall still call them Sanosuke and Megumi. Their bodies are different, but their personas and minds are the same. Just imagine their minds switched and their voices and mannerisms the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pandora's Box- Sanosuke and Megumi's Switch_   
_By: Karina Kineshi

_Idiots, I _know_ my Megumi inside and out. There is nothing more to be known... _

Sanosuke smacked his lips together. There was a bitter taste in them, as if he'd been sucking on a lemon all night long. 

_Speaking of lemons... _

He smirked; those two were probably falling all over each other to get their girls' attention, how pathetic. The most feared fighters in all of Japan, stumbling to catch an under-aged woman's interest.

Sad.

Sanosuke scratched his head, taking special care not to move the futon too much. He could feel the tell tale bump on the other side; Megumi had not yet gotten up. It was odd though; she was normally the first one to rise in the morning.

_Must have been a long day at the clinic... _

The first peculiar occurrence was when Sanosuke laid his arm on his forehead. His bandana was missing. No wonder he felt even more naked. 

_Damn, Megumi must've taken it off..._ He wasn't concerned as of yet; he was sure that it was in the room _somewhere_.

The second sign was the fact that his hands were—

"What the hell?!? My nails!! They're... painted red! I..." Sanosuke clamped his mouth shut. Instead of the gruff and low voice that was his, what came out was...

Megumi's voice.

In a panic, Sanosuke tumbled over the side of the futon, in the process stepping over long black hair atop his own head.

Megumi's hair.

Sanosuke felt his face and head, as if rubbing it long enough would give him an answer. "Holy shit! I'm..." He whirled around, and saw himself lying down on the bed. Where Megumi was supposed to be.

"Fox! Get the hell up!" Sanosuke closed his eyes at the shrillness of his voice, it sounded just like Megumi's when she was pissed off at him. That was _him_ lying there! That was Sagara Sanosuke _sleeping_ there! "Fox!"

A muffled groan came from Megumi, er, Sanosuke's body. "Sano... let me sleep... I'm really tired..."

Sanosuke felt tears coming to his eyes. Tears?!? How the hell did this happen? He repeated over and over again, "It's some kind of joke... some kind of joke... some kind of..."

_I know my Megumi inside and out... _

Holy shit...

Sanosuke watched in horror as his body rolled over in the futon, mouth gaping wide open with a great yawn. He felt a tear sliding down the corners of his face, or rather, her face. He flicked it away with one of his red fingernails, too stunned to move.

"San-chan... did you have a good—"

_Oh God. Here it comes... _

He didn't fail to notice that Megumi had called him "San-chan", one of the more recent nicknames that she had devised for him. After all, being called "rooster" all the time can interfere in some of the finer moments of the night. He appreciated the way she said it, it sounded so... loving. Like they had known each other forever, and not just for the past year—

"WHAT THE HELL?!? My voice!!!" Sanosuke watched as Megumi reared back and stared at her body in disbelief. "My hands!" She brushed the loose bangs out of her face, _brown_ bangs. "My hair..." she moaned. "And..." As if to confirm her situation, she looked down at her chest and nearly fainted. All that was there was smooth muscle.

"My... m... they're gone..." Megumi seemed oblivious to Sanosuke even being in the room, until he realized that he was cowering in a corner, shaking.

And crying.

_Crying!! _

Megumi's head shot up when her ears picked up a sniffling sound. All the medicine in the world could not have cured the heart attack that resulted when she saw... herself. She tried speaking, but nothing came out except ragged gasps. And... Sanosuke's voice. "Sanosuke?"

The body known as Megumi's looked up with red rimmed eyes. "Y-Yes?"

Maybe it was the sight of her tears flowing down her own face, maybe it was the revelation that she was no longer part of her body, or maybe it was the sheer absurdity of the situation, but Megumi mechanically pointed her finger at herself and...

"I think... I think God likes to pick on us."

The desired effect= "Sanosuke" smiled. In fact, he brushed his tears away with the back of his hand and looked down at it ruefully. "What... what the fuckin' hell is going on?"

"I haven't the slightest idea..." Megumi smiled; it seemed that they had actually _switched_ bodies. Switched bodies!! How utterly preposterous! But that wasn't what was so amusing; Sanosuke hadn't lost his vulgar mouth. 

She told herself to get up and walk, but was halted by the look in _her_ eyes. "Gods Meg, put some pants on..." Megumi uttered a small cry of surprise as Sanosuke turned his face to the wall. "It's not like I _like_ to see myself first thing when I get up. Literally."

What a great start to the morning.

Sanosuke didn't know whether to break down in hysterics or laugh at the situation. Judging by the steady stream of tears running down his current body's face, the former had already occurred. He forced a short laugh, "Can you believe it?"

"Somehow, this doesn't surprise me anymore. About 3 weeks ago, this would have seemed really strange to me."

Sanosuke nodded in total agreement. What with all this mind reading and handcuff nonsense going on, who knows what exactly would happen next in their lives? It's as if The Big Man Himself had a list of people he would like to torture, and they were always at the top. 

He's probably got people in a room just thinking this crap up for Him!

Megumi sighed as she looked at Sanosuke's pants with utter distaste, obviously it didn't meet her "cleanness" standards. "What I'm wondering is why this happened in the first place..."

_Oh man... _

"... there has to be a reason..."

_I won't say it... _

"... He only punishes those that are bad..."

_Ack! She's on to me!! _

"... and _I've_ been good, so that means..."

"I swear fox, I can tell you the whole story."

Megumi walked over to where he was crouched with long strides. "Start talkin' rooster." It reminded Sanosuke of a rat being cornered by a very big, and very tall, cat. Or shall we say, fox.

Sanosuke cracked under Megumi's icy glare. It looked even scarier when it was coming out through his body's eyes. Whoa, does he really look that way when he's angry? It was enough to make any living animal stop breathing.

"Um, well, you... you know..." Judging by the evil glare he was getting, the long version of the story was unnecessary and could even be disastrous to his health. "It all started when Kenshin was complaining about his non-existent love live..."

***********************

"C'mon fox, why do we have to do this?"

"Shut up rooster! Have you forgotten we are in public now?" Megumi hissed through clenched teeth. "If I'm going to be you and you're going to be me, act like it!" Her voice dropped, "Do anything to embarrass me and I'll pay it back, tenfold."

Sanosuke immediately shut up; the threat was very real. He nonchalantly flipped his hair over his shoulder, an almost perfect imitation of Megumi's trademark. "I make this look better though."

"Make this look better my... ass." Sanosuke saw his own face blush, then Megumi covered it with her hand. "I might as well use the language too... though I must say, I can have lots of fun with this situation! Ohoho—" 

She was stopped by an elbow to the side, along with Sanosuke glaring at her. Megumi raised her hand to hit him, but all that it took to stop her was the wide grin plastered on her body's face. "Now you know what it feels like to be hit and you can't hit back."

So true. All the people in the street had stopped their conversations to look at the odd couple walking down the center. They saw the giant hand poised and ready to strike the seemingly frail woman, and Megumi saw the eyes of many women glitter with fury. 

How dare a man hit a woman! How dare he?

Megumi whispered angrily. "You... fox... we are so not sleeping in the same bed when we get out of this..." The heads of several men in their impromptu audience snapped up in surprise. The great gangster Zanza admitted sleeping with their prominent physician? The eyes of those same women softened and their hands went up in a prayer-like position.

They seemed to be saying, "Too bad honey, can I have him tonight?"

Sanosuke swelled up like a toad, proud to be walking around with what people considered a great object of desire.

Himself.

A sharply dressed young man that she recognized as one of her former patients approached Sanosuke. Suffered from a stomachache once... "Takani-sensei?" Megumi had to bite her tongue to keep herself from answering, and Sanosuke was so lost in his own little world that he didn't even notice. He was staring off into space.

"Oi, kitsune!" Megumi tried her best to imitate Sanosuke's name for her, and she didn't realize she was failing so miserably until that same patient gave her a glare that could freeze oil.

"Stay out of this, you impudent moron. I'm trying to talk to the doctor."

"Impudent... moron?" Megumi saw a vein on her body appear on the back of her head, the comment had hit home. Thankfully, Sanosuke composed himself and put on the face that she used with her patients. "Yes? What is it?"

The man squirmed, then procured a bundled package from a pocket in his long, red coat. Sanosuke blinked; this guy looked to be loaded with money. He even _smelled_ like money. What the hell is he doing with... 

"For your services, Takani... chan."

_Takani-_chan_?!? What the fuckin' hell is that supposed to mean? What services?!? _

Sanosuke fumed, and Megumi was ready to burrow into the ground. Sanosuke's reaction now would be unstoppable. He was wondering exactly what he should be wondering, what services does he mean? And Takani-_chan_? It was such an informal suffix to an honorable doctor.

The man smiled weakly, then Megumi even saw a faint blush on his cheeks. "Do give me an answer soon, I can make you so much happier than..." With a shake of his head, he indicated that he meant Megumi's new body. 

Sanosuke.

Megumi's former body was shaking, but Sanosuke somehow regained his composure. He looked him square in the eyes and said, "I'll let you know when I'm feeling like myself."

The answer seemed to please the young man, as he smiled a dazzling smile that displayed all his perfect teeth. "Until then, I'll wait for you..." He turned smartly on one heel and gave Sanosuke a small salute. Megumi could have sworn he said something when he was turned away:

_"I'll wait because you are worth it..." _

Megumi saw a flash of jealousy in her own eyes; Sanosuke was not taking the comment too well. She spoke, "Isn't that just... sweet? Megumi, don't you agree, _darling_?" 

Sanosuke had dropped the animosity in his body's eyes and looked up at her with a smirk. "Aren't I such a _guy_ magnet?" He all but spat the words out. Megumi simply smiled; there would be enough time to explain the situation later.

_Ha!! Who's the object of desire now rooster boy!? _

Megumi's genuine smile outshone Sanosuke's plastered on one. She decided to egg him on, "Yep, I must be the luckiest guy on earth to be walking with such a gorgeous, talented, impressive, and lovely woman."

Sanosuke snorted, then did another hair flick. "You forgot flirty and..." His eyes darkened. "... we're here, _rooster_."

They stopped in front of Kaoru's dojo, but it was strangely quiet. Normally, the air would be pulsing with life; sounds of wood hitting wood, air being cut in two by the practice swords, Kaoru's insistent counting. 

But now...

"Where _is_ everyone?"

"Maybe they went on to the Akabeko already."

Sanosuke snorted; it was an odd sound coming from Megumi's body. "And they left without me?"

"Left without you? Megumi-san?" 

The new voice made Megumi jerk back in surprise, but Sanosuke kept his cool. "Try not to sneak up on us jou-chan." He realized what he had said after the fact. 

Shit!

Kaoru raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. Sanosuke tried to look unaffected but was failing miserably. Megumi simply put her head in her current body's hands and wanted to shrink into herself. She'd never really noticed how incredibly tall Sanosuke was until she actually _towered_ over everyone in the street. From her former body's height, it was a giant leap.

"You two are sharing the same nickname for me now? I must admit, it's really scary coming from you Megumi-san... did Sanosuke put you up to this?"

Megumi and Sanosuke both looked at each other, trying to figure out what was going on in each other's minds. The question was: Tell her? Or not? They had discussed before they left the house that they would tell no one, and pretend that nothing was wrong. 

But just after they had reached the gate of the clinic, Megumi got a glint in her eye and said it would be rather fun to toy with people and go to the places she normally wouldn't go. Gambling halls, drinking parlors... the world was limitless...

Sanosuke, of course, refused. "Those places are not fun and games Megumi. You can really get hurt in there."

She pouted and crossed her arms, fully aware that Sanosuke would be surprised. This is the position that he always took when he wanted something from her. "Which is why I'll take you with me."

He shook his head furiously, not believing what was coming out of her mouth. This was Megumi! Didn't she give a rat's ass for her own safety? He tried another approach. "I don't want to look stupid. A woman saving my sorry ass from being beat the shit out of? I'll never hear the end of that..."

She grinned ferally. "All the more reason to go."

"Fox! Be serious here for a minute!" He grabbed his former body's shoulders and shook them violently. Of course, this had little effect. A revelation hit him. "How would you like me to shatter your wrist?"

"..."

"After all, to protect you, I have to Futae no Kiwami some of these morons..."

"... um..."

"You'd look so lovely with a splint all down your lovely arm..."

"...Sanosuke?"

"And some of these guys are pretty... what's the word I'm looking for..." He paused to let the effect sink in and finished. "Horny." He grinned. That was sure to change her mind.

"... I'm still going."

"WHAT?!?" Sanosuke's voice had reached the highest decibel possible without shattering the eardrum. "What the HELL are you thinking?!?"

Megumi raised a finger in the air as if to make an emphasis. "You brag to me all the time about how 'people fear me when I walk into bars and dive under the tables when I crack my knuckles. Women swoon at the very sight of me'." She grinned again. "I for one want to see just what kind of women you attract and as long as what you're telling me is true, no one will lay a _finger_ on me or you."

Sanosuke sighed; whenever Megumi wanted something, Megumi got it. He knew why she wanted this so badly, this was—

"—going to be fun! Where's your sense of adventure?"

The look in both of their eyes said the same thing: Tell Kaoru now.

"Kaoru-san—"

Kaoru's eyes widened alarmingly. "Sanosuke! Don't toy with me, I've got some serious problems." She bit her pinkie nail; this really was serious. Megumi decided to hold off on her announcement after seeing Kaoru's red-rimmed eyes. How come she didn't notice that before? That was very unlike Megumi; she _always_ noticed things like that... "Kenshin never came home last night."

"Oh?" Megumi shot a look at Sanosuke, he most likely knew why. She shoved Sanosuke towards Kaoru, "I think he knows why."

"M-Megumi? What..." The flash of realization awakened in Kaoru's eyes, and Megumi saw nothing but fury.

Sanosuke put his hands up when it looked like Kaoru was ready to rain hell . "It's not what you're thinkin' jou-chan!"

"Kaoru-chan, don't hurt him!"

Kaoru looked ready to faint. Either that, or she was ready to summon demons from hell to curse them to an eternity of torture. "Stop joking with me already! Don't you have any feelings at all?"

Megumi was going to burst into tears; how in the world could she get her to believe? Ridiculous it may sound; it was the truth...

"Kaoru-san!!! Oh my God... where are you?!?"

Sanosuke winced; Misao's voice could sure carry far. Was it just him, or was he particularly sensitive to sounds today? Must be that switch thingie...

"Misao-chan! Keep your voice down."

"I thought I told you not to call me "chan", Aoshi-sama. I'm not a kid anymore!!"

"I'm not God either, don't call me Aoshi-sama. Just Aoshi is fine with me."

Kaoru quickly wiped a lingering tear on the corner of her eye with her sleeve. How embarrassing it would be to show weakness in front of her visitors! Everyone is sure acting odd today, and now... She glared at Megumi. Megumi knew something about Kenshin's disappearance, and by God, she would find out what. Is this how best friends treat each other? "Welcome, Aoshi-san. Misao-ch—"

"Don't even think about it."

"Fine, Misao-san."

Misao beamed. "Well, we have so _much_ to _tell_ you! First off..."

Megumi sighed while Sanosuke flicked his hair. It didn't seem like she was going to listen anytime soon, especially with Misao here. She slipped her hand into Sanosuke's and cocked her head towards the door. If they left now, they could leave unnoticed.

Kaoru grabbed Sanosuke's shoulder. "Not so fast vixen. You'll tell me about Kenshin even if it kills me—"

"—Kaoru! Are you listening to me?!?"

"Misao, stop being so loud."

"Sanosuke, we have to leave right now!" Megumi hissed.

"Fox, I'm working as fast as I can!"

"Who are ya' callin' loud, Aoshi-_sama_?"

"Misao now is not the time to act up."

"My God, everyone just SHUT UP!!!" Kaoru shouted at the top of her lungs and without even thinking of it, the three visitors watched in horror as Misao was slapped. 

Hard.

Well, almost. She had blocked it with her arm just before the hand came in contact with her face. Despite the guard, the force behind it was stronger than Misao anticipated, and the back of her arm was pushed into the side of her face. The young okashira's eyes watered for a second, wide-open more from surprise than from pain.

No one knew what to say for a minute, until Aoshi finally cut through the silence. "Misao, I'm impressed that you saw that one coming. Very impressed. Next time though, if Kaoru ever tries that again..." Aoshi glared darkly at Kaoru, there was no need to finish the sentence.

Kaoru stammered, "I'm so sorry Misao-chan, I r-really d-didn't mean to..." She buried her face in her sleeve, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the day's events had pushed her to the breaking point.

"Kenshin's gone, you say?"

Kaoru stopped sniffling long enough to cast a harsh glare at Sanosuke's new body. "Yes, and—"

Aoshi spoke in an uncharacteristically loud voice, "Let's go to that restaurant you like to eat at and discuss the events of last night. I know where he is. As does Sanosuke."

Kaoru's eyes gleamed with happiness under her tears. She rushed over to Sanosuke's body, otherwise known as Megumi, and hugged her. "You can tell me where he is, right Sanosuke?"

Megumi's body, otherwise known as Sanosuke, cleared his throat. "I'm right here, jou-chan."

***********************

"WHAT?!?" Kaoru stared in disbelief at Sanosuke. "You mean to tell me that you two have actually _switched_ bodies?"

"Unfortunately." Sanosuke did a Megumi trademark laugh.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "But it _sounds_ like Megumi, not Sanosuke..."

Megumi explained with her hands, a habit that she picked up since she was small. There was a long-standing joke in the Kenshin-gumi that if you tied up Megumi's hands, she would be incapable of orally speaking. "We've only switched bodies, just think of it as we have the same minds, just in another person's figure."

"And so... that means you're really Megumi, and you..." She pointed at Sanosuke. "Are really Sanosuke. Right?"

"Got it, jou-chan."

"This is almost as ridiculous as Aoshi's predicament, but this tops it all off..." She crossed her arms. "I don't believe it. I still think that you're trying to play a joke on me."

Aoshi rolled his eyes, "C'mon woman, what's so hard to believe?"

"Aoshi!" Misao chided him. "I didn't think that those kinds of thoughts existed in your head."

"It certainly surprises me." Megumi sipped a cup of tea and nearly shattered the cup. She hadn't learned how to control Sanosuke's immense strength yet, but there was still time. "I always thought that you never thought at all."

"What's that supposed to mean, Megu—"

Megumi slammed the cup down as she would do in her own body. Instead, this made the cup break in two. She hissed at Aoshi, "If you don't want to give away our secret, then for God's sake at least pretend I'm something I'm not!"

"Please calm down Sanosuke-san..." Tae appeared out of nowhere, shook her head, and proceeded to wipe up the fragments of ceramic all over the table. Megumi mumbled a quick apology and started shoving rice into her mouth with anger.

Sanosuke smiled and put a hand on Tae's. "The rooster is _my_ responsibility. Let me clean up after him." He was pleased at the look of shock on the waitress's face. This was an open declaration of responsibility! Wait until she told Tsubame and Yahiko about this!

"Damn you..." Megumi growled into her rice.

Misao perked up and looked around after Tae left. "By the way, where is Yahiko, anyways?"

Sanosuke smiled and did a hair flick. Everyone at the table was impressed at his skills of mimicry. "He's been spending all his time around that _other_ little girl." The insult shot right over Misao's head.

Kaoru sighed, "Yeah, I hardly see him around at the dojo anymore, just in the mornings when he wakes up and in the evenings when he comes back home to sleep." She paused, then grinned. "Tae-san says that he makes a wonderful dishwasher. He's so preoccupied with Tsubame that he doesn't care if he gets paid."

"That's his nature you know, he wouldn't accept money for service..." Misao's eyes gleamed with love. "How romantic..." she swooned.

"Romantic? That's your idea of romantic?" Aoshi asked.

Misao snapped out of her trance. "Why, what's yours?"

"Must we discuss this here, Misao?"

"No."

He smiled tenderly. "Good."

Misao blushed, then refilled her plate with more rice. From the way she was spooning the grains onto her plate, you could tell her mind was somewhere else.

_Young love, how cute... _

Sanosuke stole a glance at Megumi, he still hadn't gotten used to the fact that the love of his life was trapped in his own body. And those quiet looks at her... it was like making eyes at himself. Now _that_ was odd. Young love was sure odd in itself, of course, he was young, but Megumi sure wasn't. There had to be a million guys out there, older, richer, why out of all of them did she choose him?

He felt his mind becoming shady_. Just like that earlier rich punk..._ she never did tell him what her affiliation was with that man. Maybe she didn't have one. Maybe she did and just wouldn't say...

Maybe he was becoming unreasonable.

"Misao, let's go for a walk. The sky is beautiful now..."Aoshi held out his hand, which Misao graciously accepted. Sanosuke recognized that look; it was the look women have when they are flying. That mind reading experience did offer him some good...

"Wait! What about Ken—" Kaoru started

Too late, the two Oniwa Banshuu were already out the door of the restaurant, lovingly gazing at each other until they disappeared from sight.

Kaoru sighed and put her elbow on the table. 

"Kaoru-chan! That's bad manners..." Megumi chided. Then she felt like her head was going to explode when she saw the position that Sanosuke was sitting in. "Oh God! Just kill me now!"

"What? What's the problem?"

Megumi face was flushed from a mixture of both embarrassment and anger. "You're not in your body anymore Sanosuke! You're a fuckin' lady now, sit like one!!!" Sanosuke blinked for a minute, then realized why Megumi was such in a rage. Kaoru just sat with her head in her hands, wondering why one _earth_ she was cursed with such bad luck. Sanosuke was sitting in his characteristic one leg up, one leg down position he loved...

With a kimono on.

"You've only been flashing everyone in the restaurant! What indecent exposure!! You embarrass me..."

"C'mon fox, no one noticed... I didn't do it on purpose!"

"If I noticed, so would every other hot-blooded man in this place! Do you take me for an idiot?" Most of the patrons in the Akabeko lifted their heads form their meals and stared in fascination at the ruckus. 

_How in the world could he be that stupid?!? He _does_ take me for an idiot!! _

Kaoru stopped them with a wave of her hand, eyes flashing angrily. She meant business. "You can argue all you want when you get out of here. I just want to know where Kenshin is."

Sanosuke and Megumi stopped glaring at each other for two seconds while Sanosuke turned away with a humph. Megumi just picked up the bowl and shoveled more rice into her mouth.

_My, they certainly have changed..._ Kaoru thought with amusement. "Now then, what did he wish for last night?"

"Wish? Lemme' think..." Sanosuke started to sit more comfortably until Megumi gave him a death glare. He settled with his elbows on his knees. "He said that he wishes you'd give him a clear answer."

"Clear answer? About what?" Kaoru seemed confused.

Megumi stopped eating the rice and calmly set the bowl down. "Isn't it obvious? He wants you to quit toying with him. If you love him... then just _tell_ him." Sometimes she pitied the poor red head, after about 3 years of living together, he _still_ hasn't got the go ahead from Kaoru. Megumi would have told Kenshin herself, but her best's friends wishes were more important than her own.

Kenshin was going to ask for Kaoru's hand in marriage.

"Tell him...?"

"Yes, tell him."

Kaoru was lost in thought. Sanosuke looked at Megumi again, it was time to leave her. "We'll be at my apartment if you need me, Kaoru-san."

"We?"

Sanosuke nodded at Megumi. "Yes, we. Ohohohoho!!"

"Heeeeyyyy, not bad _fox_." Megumi stood up and put an arm around Sanosuke, all the while smiling that cockeyed grin Sanosuke used when he knew something everyone didn't. "Let's go then."

Kaoru nodded, still thinking. After about three seconds of silence, she sat up and beamed. "I just know he's all right. I know it."

"Thatta' girl." Megumi escorted Sanosuke to the door, feeling the urge to giggle but knowing that it would make Sanosuke look like a fool. She loved the way she felt so free in his clothing, how you could feel air rush all around his body. It certainly was a new experience. She felt a twinge of jealousy; this was the same thing that made her fall for him in the first place. She was pretty sure his most redeeming _visible_ feature was his chest. 

_Visible, at least... _she thought with a sly grin.

Megumi wanted to cover that chest up, almost saying, "Back off ladies! You only see this thing by appointment only." She didn't want any other woman making eyes at _her_ Sanosuke...

Which reminded her...

"Oi _fox_, where are we going to now?" Once safely outside the restaurant, Sanosuke assumed his casual tone of voice with her. Kaoru didn't even suspect, how would anyone else? Plus, it was getting dark; most people were inside eating their dinners. Megumi didn't pay attention to him and just kept on walking. "Hey!"

Sanosuke was rather taken aback when Megumi kissed him right then. She was so fast and so unexpected that Sanosuke didn't even have time to blink. The next thing he knew, Megumi had her arms wrapped around his waist and was kissing him passionately.

When the kiss had finally ended, their eyes met, and all they saw there was shock. For one brief moment, they forgot they were in each other's bodies, and it was a rude awakening to be staring into their _own_ eyes. "That was... was..."

"... fucked up." Sanosuke finished. "It's like kissing myself." 

Megumi nodded, and then wiped off her mouth with the back of her white sleeve. "Plus, I missed."

"Missed?"

Megumi gave a sheepish grin. "Because of the height difference, I forgot to compensate for that. I didn't kiss you straight on the lips like I was aiming for." She blushed again, and then observed an interesting phenomenon. Megumi's trademark fox ears had popped up on the back of her former body. "What do those mean Sanosuke?"

"I was too busy with you, I didn't notice about me."

***********************

Despite his earlier resistance, Sanosuke had agreed readily to their earlier plan after they left the Akabeko. There was no doubt in her mind that this was just one of those 24 hour curses, and she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. 

"I still can't believe I'm saying yes to you..."

"It must be my manly powers of persuasion!" Megumi tried something new, flexing her muscles the way Sanosuke did when he proved her wrong. It happened only very, very rarely. In the year or so they'd been together, he'd only proved her wrong once.

Once.

How pathetic. Well, at least once was better than never.

"Manly powers of persuasion my ass, fox. That's my line."

"I suppose—"

"—what was the deal with that guy who came up to me in the street?"

Megumi blinked. There went another one of Sanosuke's quirks, changing the conversation when you least expect it. She could see that he had clutched in his hand the package from that...

"Recognize this?" In the darkness, Megumi could see his eyes flashing with anger. "What is it?"

Megumi's heart almost stopped. "I-I don't know. He was just one of the patients I treated once. I think it was dengue fever. This must be his payment."

"Oh, a gift huh..." Sanosuke said sarcastically. "Maybe it's a marriage proposal."

Megumi rolled her eyes, "You're being a child Sanosuke. That man means nothing to me—"

"—but you obviously mean something to him."

It was one thing to be ridiculed by Sanosuke, but quite another when it looked like she was ridiculing _herself_. She said angrily, "So what if I mean something to him? Why should you care? I only have eyes for you!"

That comment took Sanosuke off his guard. It felt like a leaden bullet just slammed into his body and disoriented his senses. "You... you do?"

"You idiot. If I was in my body right now, I'd pummel you into tomorrow. Why do you think I bother sticking around with you?" The blank look in Sanosuke's eyes told her that he didn't know. Her voice lowered, "I do it because I love you, I do. Don't you think it hurts me just as much when women make eyes at _you_?" Her voice was pleading. "Don't you think it hurts me when you tell me of 'women swooning at my feet'?"

He'd never thought of that before. It wasn't the fact that he wasn't aware of it, he just didn't know that it bothered her so much.

_ I know my Megumi inside and out. There's nothing more to be known... _

Gods, he felt like a fool.

Megumi snatched the package away from his hands and started to carefully unwrap it. She saved the rough twine that it was held together with and then moved on to the brown paper. She unraveled it, and revealed...

"God... I've never... so much..."

"We're rich!" Inside the inconspicuous package was the largest amount of money Megumi had ever seen in her life. It was the largest amount of money she'd owned up until now. At least 6 bundles of 100 yen bills tied together with twine. Thick bundles too...

But that wasn't the only thing in there: a note. "'Megumi-chan...'" Sanosuke began. "'This is my payment for treating my illness. Not only that, but it is a testament to how I can provide for you in your later years. I have not only what you need, but also what you want. Please consider my offer, but the money is yours to keep, no matter what you decide. Until we meet again... Honmaru Ichihan'."

The two sat silent for a minute, Megumi was stunned speechless at the sight of all that money. And despite her answer, it was hers... all hers...

"What are you going—"

"No. I don't think he can give me what I want..." She took the note from his hand, looked over it for a moment, and then let it flutter to the ground. 

Sanosuke smiled graciously. Whatever she saw in someone like him, he'd probably never know. His attention was shifted to the large bundle of cash. "Oi, what're you going to do with it?"

She thought for a moment, then inspiration struck. "I'll gamble with it, of course."

It made Sanosuke's heart ache just to hear those words coming out of his own mouth. "What if you lose all of it?" He paused before opening the door to the gambling hall. Shouts of delight and anger filled the air; and Sanosuke even see things flying around in there.

"What if I gain twice as much?"

He smiled, hooked an arm around her waist, and slid the door open. "I like the way you think." Slyly, he grabbed a wad of yen from her hand and put it inside his "evil" jacket's pocket. "Just in case we lose it all, we've got to be safe."

"You're worrying about safety? You aren't acting like yourself today..."

He smirked. "Neither are you."

The sudden light of the gambling hall temporarily blinded Megumi, but Sanosuke was used to it in an instant. The place was a total slob hole and Megumi's nose wrinkled in distaste from the smell of sake and money. Buxom ladies draped themselves over men with money, seductively whispering in their ears to leave the game and come with them upstairs. The place was packed with young men mostly, sake in their breath and women on their minds.

How utterly disgusting. This is what he does for fun?

He pulled her close to him and whispered, "Just take my lead and introduce me like you've know them for years, which technically, you have. You'll learn their names this way..."

A man's voice cut through the air, "Sano-san!" Three scruffy looking men approached the two and slapped Megumi on the back. She didn't take kindly to that, but she smiled and laughed as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "We never see you around here anymore Sano-san, she must be the parlor babe who's keeping you."

Megumi snickered, "Hey, go easy on her. She ain't no parlor girl that I picked up somewhere, she's Takani Megumi. The foxy doc."

Astonishment registered on all three of their faces. Megumi was proud of herself; she had established the line just like Sanosuke would. Whatever she said had that power. It was amazing.

One man kissed Sanosuke's hand very gentleman-like. "I remember you, you're the one who saved my life after those yakuza shot me with their damn cannon. You're even more pretty than I last remembered you." 

Sanosuke didn't know whether to smile or cry; he'd never gotten kissed on the hand by a man before... "Sorry, I don't remember your name... I've got so many people coming in and out each day..."

"I'm Izumi. This is Kinji and Tomo." He pointed at the two men standing next to him, their smiles covered almost all of their faces. The man known as Tomo jerked a thumb at Megumi's new body and whispered, "If you ever get tired of this loser, you know where to find us."

Megumi laughed. Scummy as they were, she was actually starting to like them. They were cute in that gritty kind of way. "Don't be putting the moves on fox, for your sake. I don't think she'll take kindly to that." She grinned at Sanosuke, "She's lethal."

Sanosuke made his sultriest face. "Of course."

All four men seemed to roll in one continuous laugh. "I think there's a table up over there. Wanna' play?" Kinji nodded his head towards the other side of the room.

Megumi tapped her nose with the side of her hand. "That's what I'm here for." Kinji led them both to the table that was open and sat Sanosuke down first. That made Sanosuke's friends climb another notch in Megumi's eyes. They were polite as well. And they only joked about keeping "that parlor babe" all to themselves, they didn't try to make any move on him whatsoever.

Good call in their eyes. If Sanosuke found out that one of his friends was going after his girlfriend, when he got out of his body...

"...oi, ya' with us Sano?" Sanosuke looked at her funnily, he was sitting in the proper position. So was she. "When'd ya' get so prissy on us?" She had her legs tucked underneath her, it was very uncomfortable, but she forgot for a moment that she could splay like Sanosuke does. 

She shifted and went to the one leg up, one leg down position Sanosuke loved. It felt so much freer than that old leg tuck! Men are so lucky! "Let's play." She threw down an entire wad of cash on the table, and it was as if a gunshot exploded in the room. It seemed like the men knew the sound of money hitting the wood, so everyone in the parlor stopped their games to watch what was happening at the table with the "big money".

"Where the hell ya' get so much money?" Tomo's mouth started to water and his jaw almost hung to the floor. "I hope lady luck _isn't_ with you tonight."

She maneuvered her hand to Sanosuke's leg. "Megumi's my lady luck." A collective grunt of approval echoed in the room, and Sanosuke didn't miss all the looks that he was receiving. Did he not _tell_ Megumi this would happen? Did he not _say_ the exact words, "Some of these men are horny?" Did he not?!? "Two and five, han."

Izumi threw the slightly yellow dice into the earthenware bowl and everyone breathlessly awaited the result. Sanosuke closed his eyes and squeezed Megumi's hand; he didn't want to witness such a huge loss of money.

The _pink-pink-pink_ of the dice stopped. "Two and... five! Han!" Whispers of fascination circulated around the table.

Megumi smirked confidently while all of the women in the vicinity crowded around her. One particularly enigmatic girl with a tight western corset on hugged her neck. "Hey, how about dumping that foxy lady for a _real_ lady luck?" she breathed in her ear.

Sanosuke received an icy glare hidden behind a cheerful smile. "No thanks, I'll keep this one until she wants to leave." Megumi pried the girl's arms from her neck, all while assuming a nonchalant attitude. "No thanks." 

The girl pouted, but persisted. She became so bold even to sit in her lap as Megumi called out the next dice roll. "Three and three... chow."

"Ne Sano-chan, you act like you don't even know me. Don't you recognize me anymore? Or are you going to let this... this..." She haughtily pointed at Sanosuke. "... this rich girl to come between us?"

Megumi would have said something, but Kinji cut in. "Leave him alone Ruri, he's not interested tonight." He shrugged. "Too bad girl, looks like you're out of luck." The feather on top of Ruri's head trembled with anger. She removed herself from Megumi lap and went upstairs, but not before glaring at Sanosuke.

Shit! We're in deep now...

Sanosuke put a hand on Megumi's fingers and tried not to sound panicked. "Let's leave after this hand."

"Three and three, chow!" came a gruff voice.

Megumi sensed the urgency in her own voice and gathered up the winnings. "Sorry guys, duty calls."

Tomo cooed. "Aww, c'mon Sano, we're just getting started! You're haven't even taken a sip of sake!" The people in the room nodded their agreement with Tomo.

As Megumi scooped the winnings up and shoved them in one of Sanosuke's pockets, she decided to guess at what Sanosuke would say in this situation. He was probably risqué around his friends, so she settled on, "She can't wait until we get home." She winked, and all the guys in the room yelled their approval.

"Way to go tiger!"

"Go Sano-_chan_!"

"Hubba hubba!!" Izumi smacked Megumi on the shoulder.

Sanosuke got a small mark of annoyance on his face. He didn't like his friends touching her, even if she was in his body. Jealousy? No time to think. They needed to get out of there, now. "Let's go to your place. Yours."

Cheering, much slapping on the back, hoots and hollers. The mob had grown unruly, and Megumi felt herself getting pressed in between lots of bodies. The force of everyone moving around in such a constricted space tore her away from Sanosuke's hand. She panicked. "Megumi, where are you?"

No sound from her voice, except the cheers. She scanned over everyone's heads, Sanosuke was no where in sight. After politely trying to get people to move for about a minute, she shoved her way through ferociously. "Get the _hell_ out of my way! Fox! Where are... move it!"

"Sano-san!" Tomo emerged through the crowd, breathless. He pointed up the stairs. "He took her up there."

"Who?" Gods, if anything happened to Sanosuke, she'd never forgive herself. Megumi started to shake Tomo's shoulders. "Who!" she demanded.

The fear in his eyes was evident; he didn't dare say his name out loud. "But, he's in the third room down the hall. Go, save your woman." Megumi didn't even hear the last part of his sentence; she was on her way up the stairs. Taking three, four at a time until she got to the very top, where the hallway meandered to the left. It stank of sake.

She kicked down the third door, and it fell over with not so much as a flutter, being made of reeds. What she saw astounded her. "Hey, it's about time you got here _rooster_."

Megumi couldn't believe her eyes. Sanosuke was sitting on top of the western style bed, lazily drawing pictures in the air with his slender arm. Scattered all around him was the bodies of three men. Of course, they were just knocked out. Megumi bent in closer to inspect the damage, one was felled by a punch to the face, another to the stomach, and the other was thrown against the wall. "Who... who are they?"

Sanosuke shrugged and continued drawing. "Ruri's men. Every girl here has her own posse of guys who defend her honor."

"Honor?"

Sanosuke nodded. "You turned her down, and she's just a crybaby. If she can't get the guy she wants, she whines to her mob and they can try to beat the crap out of the guy who 'violated her'."

"What were they going to do to you?" Megumi asked, fearing the answer.

"What do you think? Three versus one... violate me probably..." He stopped and glared at her. "Did I not tell you this would be trouble?

Megumi felt her stomach turn. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for it to go this far..." She came over and sat beside Sanosuke on the bed. "I really am sorry. I thought I could handle it."

Sanosuke smiled warmly. "You did. I told the guys if they messed with me, they mess with Sagara Sanosuke's wrath. That gave me enough time to punch the daylights out of all of them."

"Punch?!? Oh God..." Megumi frantically looked over her own body.

Sanosuke waved his hands, "Don't worry, these idiots were so full of sake I barely flicked them with my finger before they fell over. I didn't shatter your wrist."

Megumi breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think this is the part where the hero who saves the day and kicked down the door carries the girl all the way to his apartment and they live happily ever after." Sanosuke grinned and stretched his arms above his head. Megumi just stared at him blankly. "Well? Have at it!"

Megumi sighed. "Can't you carry your own lazy bum to your apartment?"

"Nope."

She grinned and hoisted Sanosuke over her shoulder. She looked like a giant sack of flour with his derriere sticking up in the air near her face.

"Put me down Megumi!! This is not proper! I can't let you have this reputation here!" Sanosuke squealed. 

Megumi laughed, a deep and dark sound. "Too late, lady luck."

"Fox!!!" he shrilled. He obviously didn't like being carried around like cargo on his own back.

"Fine... fine..." She grudgingly put him down just before Izumi, Tomo, and Kinji rushed into the room.

"What the hell happened in here?" They demanded in disbelief after seeing the bodies strewn all around the area. "Geez, you two are vicious!"

Megumi and Sanosuke smiled at each other. Knowing smiles. 

It was true both ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Author's notes: This is the hardest of the three couplings to write because of their situation, so bear with me. If I didn't adore SxM so much, I would have trashed this project ^_^ It's long, but dammit, I love it! Review kiddies!

Aoshi and Misao or Kenshin and Kaoru next? 


	3. Aoshi and Misao...

Aoshi and Misao. Read and be astounded by Aoshi's OOC-ness. Oh God, I've never written an Aoshi/Misao fic before... ah well. They aren't really my forte anyways... obviously. Important! I'm changing it so that not only will Aoshi _say_ whatever is on his mind, but he will also _do_ whatever is on his mind. Thought it would make it more interesting... ^_^

KxK fans/writers: please scroll to the bottom for details on co-authoring if you are interested.

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Pandora's Box- Aoshi's Mind, Misao's Heart_   
_By: Karina Kineshi

_I wish that I could speak my mind when I'm near Misao... _

Aoshi sat up and groggily rubbed his head. He'd never woke up with this bad of a headache before. "What the hell happened to me?"

"Excuse me, did you say something, Aoshi-sama?" A voice drifted over from the closed partition of his room, snapping him out of his thoughts. He said that out loud?

He could hear a small laugh. "Of course you said that out loud Aoshi-sama, either that or my hearing is incredibly good..."

Oh, so he had said that out loud. That was his Misao, she'd always had abnormally good hearing when it came to him, it made her even more endearing to him.

Gods, how could she put up with him?

Misao slid the door open, something unreadable in her eyes and carrying a small tray. "Put up with you? What do you mean?"

Aoshi's heart plunged to the bottom of his body. "But I didn't say anything..."

The braid on the back of Misao's head was getting barraged by her fingers. She was twiddling with it nervously. "But I heard you, I think..." She flashed a dazzling smile. "Are you getting senile?"

"I might be. In fact, I am sure that I didn't say anything. You look beautiful Misao." Gods, he said that out loud too! What was wrong with him? Can't he keep a thought to himself?!?

Misao's eyes grew concerned. "There's nothing wrong with you, and I don't know about that thought to yourself thing, but thanks for noticing me."

Noticing? Yes, Misao was dressed in a marvelous kimono; the yellow complemented her beautiful aquamarine eyes.

Misao blushed. "Thank you... Aoshi-sama... I always hated my eyes..."

The man was getting scared now, it seemed that all of his thoughts were forced to be spoken. How can this be? 

_I wish I could speak my mind when I'm near Misao... _

Oh Gods. Could it be?

The girl shook her head and quirked an eyebrow. "Could it be... you're getting senile?"

Aoshi laughed halfheartedly. "I am, I am..." 

_Could it be that whatever I'm thinking could be heard in plain daylight? _

He shook his head. How absolutely preposterous. It was almost as ridiculous as... Aoshi stopped short when he saw the intense look in Misao's eyes. The next thing she said scared him out of his skin: "It's almost as ridiculous as what? What's preposterous? To tell you the truth, you are talking a lot more today than I've ever heard you speak at any one point..."

"W-What did you say? You heard that?" Aoshi felt like he was in a dream; the back of his eyes started to throb. Give him enemies, give him fights, but for God's sake, don't give him something he can't handle. Why, if some of the thoughts that were lose in his head were to get out, who knows—

Misao squealed, "— I want to know! Oh God!!" Misao was beside herself with excitement. Everything had been adding up: Aoshi talking a lot more today, and about odder things, he didn't even _know_ what he was saying, and he seems to be more open... "There's only one way we can make sure you're _really_ speaking your mind." Misao grinned like a... weasel.

Aoshi shuddered in fear; he could almost guess what was on her mind. After all, he'd taught her well.

"Yes, you did teach me well, and no, you have no idea what I'm going to ask." She rubbed her hands together and put on the straightest face she could muster. "There are some people who think that because you don't talk at all, that you're gay."

"G-Gay?!?" he stammered.

Misao nodded. "Yes, gay. What is your input on this?" She held her breath; the old Aoshi would just shrug it off and say something mundane like 'Let them think what they want to think.' What would this one say?

Aoshi just kept nodding his head as if in a trance. "They think I'm gay, do they?" The way he said that sent shivers up Misao's spine. He sounded almost maniacal.

A sound came from Aoshi's mouth that she would not have guessed was coming in a million years. He was laughing. Laughing!! "Honestly Misao, do you believe such a shitload of rubbish?" 

The four eyes in the room widened in surprise, while Misao strode over and almost hit Aoshi in the face with her hand. "Watch your language, Aoshi-sama! Okina says that cursing is for uneducated buffoons who don't have anything better to say." Thoughts of Sanosuke flitted through Misao's head, but she quickly shrugged them off.

He looked up at her with concerned eyes. "When did you grow up so quickly Misao? I'm sorry that I said that, I'm just really surprised that people would think that way..."

Misao didn't know what to say; the situation at hand caught her completely off guard. Sure, Aoshi taught her to always keep her cool and be prepared for anything, but nothing he could have done could possibly prepare her for this.

She wasn't prepared to deal with _him_.

"... you grew up when I wasn't looking..."

Misao could feel her ears getting red. Dammit! That was a dead giveaway, Okina always joked that he could always tell when she was thinking of Aoshi when her ears went red. "...um... thank you... Aoshi-sama..."

He smiled lovingly. "Your ears are turning red. Whatever for?"

She may have looked like a woman on the outside, but anyone could see that there was still a child underneath. This was attested by her answer, "They're red because they want to be red." Misao closed her eyes haughtily, proud of her answer. She opened one eye again and looked at Aoshi intently. He wasn't falling for it. She sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to hearing you all the time."

Aoshi blinked for a moment while Misao turned to go. "Wait a minute..."

"Yes?"

He chose his words carefully, at least to the best of his ability. "Does this... not surprise you? I mean, me talking all the time?"

The girl gave a thumbs-up with her eyes twinkling. "Nothing surprises me anymore, after all, I had a good teacher."

"Of course." Aoshi smiled adoringly. She could be such a suck-up, but it was a good kind of brown nosing. However, if he knew Misao... a comment would always find a way of turning into an insult. She always tried to make it less obvious that she shared a lot of affection for him...

"Yes, it was..." She slammed the door and Aoshi watched her retreating shadow. "Okina!"

He could only stare blankly at the door for a couple of seconds. Then, realization hit. "Okina?!? You think a girl-chasing pervert was a better teacher than me? Misao, come back! I'm NOT GAY!!" When he saw that she wasn't coming back, he shook his head and started to put his clothes on. All the while of course, he was thinking, and if he was thinking, therefore he was speaking.

He tried not to say it too loud, but it just slipped... "How can I be gay if I'm in love with you?"

The quiet declaration had not gone unnoticed by Misao, who had craftily hidden in a blind spot near the screen door. Tears filled her aquamarine eyes, blurring her vision, but not blurring her mind.

_At last... _

**********************

_ "Aoshi-sama..." _

_ "..." _

_ "Make me a tsuru-san! Teach me to make a tsuru-san!!" _

_ "Misao-chan, don't disturb Aoshi-san, he's busy." _

_ "With what? Does he not want to play with me anymore? He hasn't come out of his room in three days!" _

_ "Misao-chan! Don't go in there—" _

_ "... Aoshi-sama? Where..." _

**********************

Aoshi's mouth dropped open in surprise when he tasted some of the food that Misao had made for breakfast. "Where... when did you learn how to cook?" The chopsticks he held in his hand were of lacquered black rosewood, and the bowls even matched. It was as if it was a formal occasion.

"Well, I thought we should celebrate being here in Tokyo, that's why I went all out with the table..." She gracefully picked up a teakettle and deftly poured him another cup. "No one really taught me, but Megumi-san did teach me how to make ohagi." She sat back down.

"Takani... Megumi?" Aoshi thought in quiet contemplation.

"Yes."

Aoshi closed his eyes and tried to picture her. It had been forever ago since they had been trapped together in that castle with Kanryuu, it would be interesting to see where she had ended up. "She was really pretty, I do remember that. Incredibly smart too. Her tongue was a bit too sharp though, she always found a way to criticize something."

Misao ate her rice and tried to ignore the comment. She'd never heard Aoshi call anyone beautiful, but she had hoped the honor would belong to her... someday. "Oh."

Aoshi stopped. "This is bothering you, isn't it? Sorry, you know I can't help it—"

"—what was it about Megumi-san that made her so beautiful?" Misao didn't mean to sound so forceful; but she had to know something. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to peek into the mind of Shinomori Aoshi, and she had stumbled on a couple of questions that _needed_ answering.

He had never seen such a fierce look of determination in anyone's eyes before, except maybe the people that he had fought. This was no fight, even though his only natural reaction would be to treat it as one. He didn't see this coming. "She was beautiful because she was strong willed and didn't let anyone boss her around. Somewhat like yourself..."

"Like me?"

He nodded out of another power beyond his own. "Don't underestimate yourself, Misao. You are every bit as pretty as..." Aoshi couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth. Gods, he was saying too much!

Misao held her breath. Could these words be really coming out of Aoshi's mouth? Her heart pounded, until he stopped, looked at her in disbelief and picked up his rice bowl numbly. What? What just happened? He was going to tell her that she was pretty as what?

What did he want to say? Why did he stop?

Dejected, they finished the rest of their meal in silence. Aoshi must not have been thinking anything at all, that accounted for the lack of talk. Misao's spirits were crushed; she had bought that kimono just for the occasion. Just for the _chance_ to eat with Aoshi and have intelligent conversation instead of it all being one sided.

Namely, her talking and Aoshi just listening.

Actually, who was to say that Aoshi was listening and not just hearing her? There was many a time where she had said something of utter importance and Aoshi just shrugged her off. Was it because he wasn't listening, or was it because he didn't care?

Misao decided that it had to be the second one; Aoshi never in any real way seemed to care for her. Okon and Omasu always asked her why she even bothered; he was unreceptive and unwilling to change. She even could recall Okon's words: "There's more chance that he'd get run over by a bicycle than respond to you." To which Misao replied, "Then, I'll take that chance."

However, the words stung deeply. They had to have been true with the way he was acting.

She put on a fake smile. "We have to go meet Kaoru-san at the Akabeko in about 3 hours, will you walk over there with me?"

The sudden stoppage of silence startled Aoshi. He was proud of himself, he had managed to still his rattling brain for about 2 minutes of tense silence with Misao. How? With the answer to everything= meditation. It wasn't a full meditation; it just cleared his mind of excess thoughts. "Yes, I will walk with you."

"You will?" Misao seemed astonished, as if walking with her was the least likely answer she expected.

"Of course I will, what made you think I wouldn't?"

Misao looked down at the table briefly, and then started to clear up the tableware. "No reason, I just thought that you'd have something better to do with your time than walk with me."

"That's the second best thing I could do with my time."

The girl smiled, then it disappeared when the meaning sank in. She hesitantly asked, "What's the first thing?"

He sat silent for a couple seconds, and then just out of his own not-so-free will, he felt his face. He was leering like a buffoon, one of his eyebrows were propped up suggestively. Misao's eyes were wide open and her mouth almost reached to the floor. She looked like a bolt of lightning had just struck her from head to toe. 

Misao couldn't believe it, he was a whole different person with this mind nonsense! Oh yes, she was _surprised_. Rule number one that Aoshi taught her: do not show your emotions. Easy for _him_ to do, after all, he didn't earn the nickname "icicle" for no good reason you know! She cleared her throat. "Aoshi-sama, you're almost as pervy as Okina."

"Oh God Misao, I'm not doing this on purpose! I swear it's my mind!!" Aoshi held his arms out and almost seemed to be pleading. She kind of liked that, in fact, she _enjoyed_ it.

_Now was the time to have some fun. Thank God for her newfound womanly powers... _

"If it's just your mind, that makes it all the more disturbing." She carried out the table with the dishes on it, all the while avoiding his eyes. He squirmed uncomfortably, staring at Misao's retreating back. That was the point where she overheard another one of Aoshi's thoughts that wasn't meant to be heard...

"I'd much rather look at the front of your face than the back of your head..."

**********************

_ "Misao-chan... don't cry anymore..." _

_ "Aoshi-sama? Where is Aoshi-sama?" _

_ "Misao-chan, don't make a scene..." _

_ "Let go of me!! Aoshi-sama!! Answer me..." _

_ "Aoshi... is not coming back..."_

**********************

After Aoshi took his ubiquitous trench coat from its peg on the wall, they went for just a short stroll to Kaoru's dojo. The shihondai had invited them for a brief lunch at that restaurant called the Akabeko. Misao thought it uncanny that it had nearly the same namesake as the Shirobeko in Kyoto until Aoshi told her that the owners of the restaurant were twins.

"Twins!" Misao exclaimed happily. "How I'd love to have a twin... she'd be the person I could share all my secrets with!"

"Can't you do that with Okon and Omasu?"

Misao sighed wearily. "No, there's really no one I can talk to at the Aoiya. Well, I'd be lying if I said that, but no one I can really have a deep conversation with, you know?" She crossed her arms. "Okina's too perverted, Shiro calls me Misao-kun, Omasu and Okon are always together..." Her eyes were suddenly very interested on the ground. "There was no one else."

Aoshi felt his breath catch. "Wasn't I... could I have been..."

Whenever Misao made eye contact with him, he was always amazed at all the life shining in them. Whenever she made eye contact with those sad, soulless eyes, it made Aoshi's heart wrench. "You were never around."

"Misao, I'm sorry."

She quickly composed herself and clapped her hands, "But... you're here now! I can't wait until I tell Kaoru-san about this! Who would have guessed that you actually have different thoughts in that head of yours..."

"Different... thoughts? What kind of thoughts?"

Misao grinned. "C'mon Aoshi-sama, you can't deny it. Megumi-san told me herself that all men are alike and they have... thoughts... about girls..." There was an undeniable blush on Misao's cheeks; it was so amusing when Misao tried to act more grown up just to please him. "... well, I know they're in there somewhere... so... yeah."

"Misao-chan, you're just a child. You're only seventeen..."

"Sixteen." Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I hate you for not remembering how old I am, but I love the compliment. Do I really look seventeen?" She turned around in her yellow kimono and let Aoshi look her over from all sides. She stopped, and then grinned. "You have to give me your input on every girl you've ever known. You _have_ to."

The Oniwa Banshuu leader closed his eyes defiantly. "Misao-chan, I will make you pay for this..."

"Stop calling me _chan_!" Had she been dressed in her kempo outfit, the unlucky person would have been eating two fistfuls of kunai. Of course, this was Aoshi she was walking with, so she let the comment slide. "What do you think of Okon?"

"I had a small crush on her before my fourteenth birthday. She gave me a cookie." Aoshi admitted.

"Really? I wouldn't have known that..." Misao chewed her lip thoughtfully. "What about your connection with Megumi?" Aoshi was so startled at her seriousness that he didn't speak for a couple of minutes. Misao looked at the ground again, "I know you and her were in that castle for a really long time, so I'm wondering if ever..."

"Yes, I did."

Misao felt like fainting. "You did... what?" She stared apprehensively at a snag in her kimono, as if looking at it would make it disentangle itself.

_Look at anywhere but him... I don't want to hear that the opium woman got more attention than I did... _

Aoshi closed his eyes, "I did like her." Misao felt her heart sink. He quickly added, "But it was for need of companionship more than anything else. She was alone, and without Hannya and the others, I would have been too. Intelligent woman, even though I thought she was pushed over too easily."

"How so? What did you expect her to do? She was under Kanryuu's control." Misao wrinkled her nose in distaste. She obviously didn't like the idea that men were considered superior to women, and was not afraid to show it.

"I didn't mean that. I meant that..."

Misao smiled gently. "It's okay, I know what you meant. What about..." She tried to think of another female acquaintances' name. "What about Kaoru-san?"

"The raccoon girl?"

She laughed. "Do you have any idea how much she hates that nickname?"

"Almost as much as you hate "weasel girl", right?"

Misao laughed and looked around; they had to be drawing close to where Kaoru's dojo was. A mischievous sparkled gleamed in her eyes, "Should I tell her about what's going on with you?"

Aoshi shrugged and batted away a fly that had been flying around his head. "Damn insect..." he muttered. "No, I don't think that will be necessary Misao-chan. You wouldn't want to embarrass your darling okashira, would you?" She was dumbstruck as he grinned and made a peace sign with his left hand. "No, you wouldn't embarrass me..." He felt like sinking into the ground at that point.

"You sound so sure of yourself." She shook her head. "It's like you're a totally different person, Aoshi-sama."

"I _am_ sure of myself."

Misao grinned again, this time she put her hands around her mouth and closed her eyes. She then let out an earsplitting "Kaoru-san!!! Oh my God... where are you?!?"

Aoshi felt the ground shake at the magnitude of her decibility. She turned to him with a triumphant smile on her face. She didn't notice all the people poking their heads out the doors to see who could possibly have such strong vocal cords. He did the first thing that came to mind. "Misao-chan, keep your voice down."

She tossed her head and defiantly stared him down. The glitter in her eyes was enough to make him run for cover. "I thought I told you not to call me _chan_, Aoshi-sama. I'm not a kid anymore!!"

He sighed. This did work both ways too... "I'm not God either, don't call me Aoshi-sama. Just Aoshi is fine with me." Misao had enough self-control not to gasp, did this mean that... they could call each other by a first name basis?

_ What a giant step in our relationship... _

The door to the dojo was already open, and Misao had no qualms about walking in without calling out. Of course, you could tell that she was slightly peeved when Kaoru greeted them. She almost added that dreaded prefix but Misao stopped her in the act. "Don't even _think_ about it."

"Fine, Misao-san."

One could not miss the giant smile on Misao's face. "First off..." Aoshi let his mind go into shutoff mode while Misao rambled on and on about his situation. The last thing he wanted was to reveal his deepest secrets to three almost total strangers. He wondered for a minute why the Takani woman and Sanosuke were here, but then he remembered that they were good friends of the Kamiya girl...

_What if... did his wish come true too? _

Aoshi quickly scanned the giant man that Takani lovingly called "Rooster". So... they indeed were seeing each other. Try as he would, Aoshi couldn't remember the wish that Sanosuke said that night, what if was just a freak accident? _What if… _His mind reeled. What if the accident was _permanent_? What if he was stuck the rest of his life with this horrid predicament? What if...

He then realized that he was thinking, and if he was thinking, then therefore he was speaking. He looked around at the other members of the party, Sanosuke and Megumi were a little occupied with something, Kaoru was not paying attention to Misao's ramblings, and Misao _was_ rambling. He was relieved when he found out he was just muttering under his breath, no thoughts spoken _too_ loud...

A shrill question cut through the chatter. "—Kaoru! Are you listening to me?!?" Misao demanded.

Aoshi knew that one of her biggest pet peeves is where she talks and no one is listening. That was a crime punishable by death in her eyes. But... it did get rather annoying when her voice went high like that; it was the kind of whine that _forced_ you to cringe. "Misao, stop being so loud."

Then came the swarm of voices, each berating the other's ability to handle the situation. "Sanosuke, we have to leave right now!" Sanosuke hissed. For what reason, Aoshi didn't know. Since when did he talk in the third person? Some sort of animal name coming from the doctor's mouth retorted this. Since when did Megumi call Sanosuke "fox"?

Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye, the inevitable came. Misao gets none too pleased when her own superior indirectly calls her a loudmouth. There was honor to be had and dignity to uphold. She tore through him like a red-faced tornado. "Who are ya' callin' loud, Aoshi-_sama_?"

He grabbed his throbbing forehead in pain; she just used her patented shrill voice. "Misao, now is not the time to act up."

Kaoru did the inevitable. She snapped. "My God, everyone just SHUT UP!!" The talkers instantly hushed but the girl was still trembling with rage. In a surprise move, Kaoru raised her hand and tried to slap the most obnoxious of them all.

Misao.

Using lightening fast reflexes (of course, refined by none other than Aoshi himself), Misao countered the slap by raising her arm. It all happened so quickly that Aoshi didn't have time to yell out or say something in surprise. Even _he_ didn't expect it and if Kamiya Kaoru had tried to slap him, he wouldn't have seen it in time.

There was still a stunned silence while Misao glanced at him teary eyed. He tried to comfort her just by saying how impressed he was with her reactions. "Misao, I'm impressed that you saw that one coming. Very impressed." He paused, and then glared at the woman who tried to strike Misao. "Next time though, if Kaoru ever tries that again..."

He could almost hear the collective gasp from everyone's mouth at that point. They, nor Misao, had ever heard the Oniwa Banshuu leader speak as such before. Even he couldn't believe it. In fact, Aoshi actually felt terrible to threaten someone he had never even gotten acquainted with before.

_I think like this all the time and I don't even know it? _

He pondered the surfacing fact and tried to make reason of it. Misao had been the only one that he had acted so defensive over, at least knowingly. Perhaps it was because he had raised her, but maybe it was because of something else.

_Love? Do I... love Misao? _

"Yes, and—"

Aoshi caught a small flicker of hurt in Misao's eyes, but couldn't tell if it was for Kaoru or if it was for himself. The only reason that the girl would be so on the edge would be because something happened to Battousai. While it appeared that his wish came true, it didn't look like Sanosuke's did. 

_Looks can be deceiving... _

He had to say something. "Let's go to that restaurant you like to eat at and discuss the events of last night. I know where he is. As does Sanosuke."

The girl instantly brightened up. Misao, being the kind of woman she was, always reflected the mood of the party. She became happy too.

_Misao is just... like that. _

During dinner, there wasn't really much else to be discussed. The eyes of the Kamiya girl became wide as saucers when she found out that Aoshi had to speak his mind at every opportunity he got. As if it wasn't obvious already! During the duration of the meal, Aoshi had to resist the urge to just bury his head in his hands and cry. He certainly felt like crying at points, especially... "Romantic? That's your idea of romantic?" The party at the table had been talking about how the boy, Yahiko, worked at the Akabeko for free just to help out his "girlfriend". Of course, being the 'lovesick fool' she dubbed herself, Misao nearly melted at the table.

Misao grinned, knowing there was no escape for him on this one. "Why, what's yours? What's your idea of romantic?" 

Four sets of eyes regarded him curiously, Misao's, a little bit too curiously. He purposely tried not to think and instead said the first thing that came into his mind. "Must we discuss this here, Misao?"

It worked perfectly. He knew perfectly well that she would much rather be alone with him than anything else. Aoshi nipped that thought right in the bud, there would be more than ample time to discuss _that_ issue later... he smiled, "Good."

Minutes melded into what seemed like hours as Kaoru would rant on and on about Kenshin. The stuffy clattering of chopsticks and the atmosphere was growing more oppressive by the second. A nagging thought gnawed away at his mind until it consumed his all of his thinking. Determined not to reveal his innermost thoughts to the entire restaurant, he made for a hasty getaway. "Misao, let's take a walk. The sky is beautiful now... and..."

Her eyes lit up instantly. She didn't even have to say a word as she took his arm and escorted him out of the area. Once he went through the doors and the cool evening air greeted him, he sighed. Aoshi thought that Misao had no idea about how he had just saved him from telling everyone at the table that...

"I felt like I was trapped in there, anyways." Misao stated. She immediately let go of his arm and looked down at the ground. "I knew you were feeling the same way as I was."

"How?"

She smiled wistfully. "I heard you." Seeing the surprised look that Aoshi gave her, she explained. "You were the one that taught me, remember? I can hear a fly land on top of your head if I wanted to."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." He laughed, but she didn't respond. Instead, she dropped a question him him that he had never hoped to hear in a lifetime. "Aoshi. You said before that looks could be deceiving, right?"

He stared at her, dumbstruck. "You heard that?"

"Obviously." Misao stared up at him, every inconceivable emotion flickering in her eyes. "When... when you look at me... what do you see?"

"What do I see, Misao?" he echoed. My God, not this, not now. Her eyes pleaded for an answer. It was painfully evident that she chose to draw out whatever opinions he had of her. "Well, I see a beautiful young woman that has martial arts skills equal to anyone that I know..."

Her eyes grew distant. "No, that's not what I mean. I mean..." She bit her lip, and instantly he knew the coup de grace was to come shortly. "About... do you, I mean not that I was _trying_ to listen, but you said it loud enough so _I_ could hear it..." Misao stopped herself with her hand and tried to regain her thoughts. "Do you love me?"

Aoshi couldn't speak again. It had to come sooner or later. Most everyone at the Aoiya joked about Misao's undying devotion to her 'Aoshi-sama', but this was the first time she had been so forward with her emotions. Happiness, fine; sadness, also fine; but love? It was dangerous territory.

_Do you love me? _

When Aoshi failed to say anything for that crucial second, she stammered to explain herself. "When you left, I felt... I felt horrible. Every day I loved to wake up and watch you work with Hannya and the others... and I knew that I was falling for you. It was like without seeing you my day wasn't complete. Then one day... you left me." Her hands clenched into a fist, her kimono sleeve trembling.

"Misao, I'm so sorry."

She angrily pointed a finger at him. "I thought you might have cared enough to at least tell me that you were leaving. I didn't care where, I didn't care why, and I just wanted to know that you were going to be all right. You didn't even give me that. I loved you."

Aoshi finally spoke. She was close to tears now, and God he hated himself for ever hurting her like that. "I just thought it was an infatuation." Misao looked up at him, disbelief all over her features. "I thought you loved me because of a lack of options, not because I was truly the one."

So. There it was. It was said. Misao didn't look hurt by this like he had expected, but instead chewed her lip thoughtfully. "To tell you the truth... that must be the case. After all, I knew you would never love me back the way that I did you, so I wanted to move on."

"No!" Aoshi's outburst was so sudden that Misao jumped back. He instantly felt his face become enflamed. She looked up at him, hope and hurt being the two prevalent emotions in her eyes. "I mean... I don't want you to move on if your heart doesn't feel like it. That's all."

A breeze ruffled his bangs over his eyes and he tried to push them out of the way, but instead his arms found themselves wrapped around Misao's shoulders. She wriggled out of his embrace and tried instead to look at the sunset, tears in her eyes. Aoshi was stunned. "I tried to move on, but I found that I couldn't. I felt myself loving you more and more when you came back to me. When I found you. I realized that the only way to get over you was to hear the words come out of your mouth. Now... tell me..." her voice started to choke. "Do you... do you love me?"

"Misao..." he tried to put his arms around her again but she adamantly pushed them away. She only wanted one answer, a vocal one. Aoshi felt a twinge when he saw that it was _he_ who taught her to think this way. "If I tell you, will you run away?"

"I hope not, I really don't... just... tell me the truth."

Aoshi raised his eyes to the sky to prevent tears from spilling out. To his horror, they started to surface after Misao had told him that she loved him. He concentrated on the sky and the bright kaleidoscope of colors. The bright reds and oranges of the sunset, all melting into the dark blues and blacks of the nighttime of the heavens. "Misao, look above you."

She did as instructed, but didn't say anything.

"Now, what do you think is holding the sky up from falling down?"

Misao shook her head. "Aoshi, I don't—"

"Just... answer me." Misao started crying again. He was acting like a total jerk even in his eyes, and he understood that it looked like he was avoiding the question. "There was... a story that Jiya told me once. A long, long time ago... just please, answer."

Misao stammered. "But... but the sky doesn't fall!"

"How do you know this?"

She grinned through her tears, and suddenly she looked like a child all over again. All those lazy days training in the Aoiya rushed back over Aoshi. "You told me, a long, long time ago... that the sky can't fall."

Aoshi stopped pointing at the sky and looked at Misao. The sides of his mouth were curled into a little smile. Just for her, and no one else. "And what did I say?"

"The angels in heaven use stars to pin it up," was her reply. Misao reached up and threw her arms around his neck happily, all the while crying into his shoulder. "And I remember what you said afterwards, too."

"Don't repeat it; I know what I said." Aoshi pushed her back and cupped his hands around her face, flicking away a stray tear with his forefinger. She only cried harder, but they were tears of happiness. Misao found herself unable to speak; staring into his eyes with him smiling at her was all that she had ever dreamed of. There was no ice in those eyes now, just warmth and happiness. "I know what I said..."

"I thought you just said that so I would stop chasing the fireflies."

He chuckled lovingly. "Of course not. I may be a man of few words, but the words I do say... I mean."

Misao felt her heart stop in her chest as the love of her life, Shinomori Aoshi, bent at the waist and kissed her on the cheek. It may not have been exactly what she had envisioned before, but today had been the day for surprises. A chaste kiss, but it certainly was a wonderful beginning.

"I love you, Makimachi Misao."

All the stars in the heavens fell for her. The entire world seemed to be spinning, spinning, and spinning just for her. Her and her Aoshi. When he looked into her eyes after kissing her cheek Misao could see all of her past, present and future in a single instant, captured in those 'ice blue eyes'. He smiled once more, and Misao couldn't tell if it was the dizziness in her head and illusions of grandeur or if was really true, but she could have sworn that a strange orange light encircled Aoshi's head. Before she could protest or point it out, it was gutted out like the flame of a candle.

_That must have something to do with his talking... _

Misao's heart quickly grew heavy. Now that the miracle had been wrought, it would probably never appear again. Granted, it was odd, perhaps the oddest thing she'd ever experienced in her short life, but she somehow felt prepared.

Aoshi taught her that.

This was the most natural thing in the world. She felt so right in his arms, and the young okashira could only thank the angels in heaven for giving her such a rare gift.

_I think Aoshi knows it too. _

He stared off into space for about a minute, looking at his hands repeatedly and turning them over, as if they held the answer. When Aoshi felt his lips stay absolutely still, he knew what Misao knew. The power was gone. "Misao, what are you thinking?" he asked hesitantly. Her downcast eyes told him that something needed to be said again.

_Where do we go from here? _

"Are you going to go back to the same Aoshi as I knew you before? Never talking, never showing your feelings? I'm scared that now that I love you more than ever..." she looked away. "You'll leave me again."

He slid his hand into hers, but did not smile. Aoshi gazed at the sky and let the wind caress his hair. "Misao. You should know... actions speak so much louder than words."

She smiled, and allowed herself to sink into his embrace. They stared at the sky, together, until a blaze of light streaked across the heavens. The girl, no, woman in his arms giggled and pointed at it. "It looks like the sky is going to fall. One of the pins got loose."

Shinomori Aoshi hugged her even tighter and felt her relax, her lithe frame against the built one of his own. A genuine smile finally touched his lips and he breathed in the subtle scent of her hair. Sunshine and daisies.

_If the sky is falling, there is no one else I'd rather be with than you._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Author's notes: *claps* Yatta! Hey, don't kill the ecstatic author, I just finished Aoshi and Misao, something I've never thought about before! Woot! I'm just glad it's over... seriously, I need your comments now more than ever because I've never written this coupling before. If you bothered to read this far, a comment on how bad or good I am would really pluck up my spirits. Really =) 

KxK fans: All right, I bet you all are (hopefully) interested in this. In case you've forgotten, Kenshin has been turned transparent by Pandora's Box. Because I've never written KxK before and am not particularly inspired to write it, I've decided to open up an opportunity for all authors. If you want to co-author the next chapter with me, please leave behind your name on the review box along with your email address and I'll get back to you. More points if you email me and save me the trouble ^_^ There are way better KxK writers out there than I and I want my first experience in their world to be good. He's transparent for heaven's sakes! What do _you_ see our beloved Rurouni doing? How will it affect his relationship with Kaoru? So many possibilities, so many authors... drop me a line at coronaflare@mail.com or review with your email address. 

Until later, keep on writing! 


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